Automatic gate



' April 12, 1927.

F. SWEARINGEN AUTOMATI C GATE Filed Nov Mn M, MC m fi M 9/ w N 6 @w m D Neg w J IU April 1927' v F, SWEARINGEN AUTOMAT I C GATE Filed Nov. 14, 1925 y 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 12 1927.

F. SWEARINGEN AUTQMATIC GATE Fil ed Nov. 14, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Swami/ gan Fred the crossing gates closed.

Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

ram), swnARInsELN, F] 3111:3140; coL RanoQ IAUTDMATIC G T Application filed November" This invention relates to automatically'operated gates designed primarily for use at railway crossings, one of the objects of the invention being to provide electrically 013-: era'ted means under 'the'control of an ap proaching train for causing the gate to move to closed position prior to the arrivalof the F View which Will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction, hereinafter described and claimedflt being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the, invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred iform of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings, 7 v

Figure 1 is a diagram plete "apparatus.

Flgure 2f1s' an elevational view showing the comshowing Figure 3 is a vertical section through one of the housings for the mechanism, a portion of one o f the gates being shown.

Figure 4 is a section on line ure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarge'd'elevation jotthe commutator and a part of its operating mechanism. FiQ'ure 6 is an end View of the mechanism ingshown in Figure 5; vFigure 7 is a diagram of the commutator.

Figure 8 is a perspective-view showing t-h'eoperating connections between the gate;

Figure 9 is'an enlarged section on' line 9 9 Figure 8, the screw actuated block beingshown in normal position. Referringto the figures by'charact'ers of reference 1 and '2 designate housingsot co ncret-eor any other suitable material preferably located below the surface'ofthe ground at opposite sides of the crossing wliere' the gates are located. On each 'of-the sel1ousings is arranged a hollow pedestal-3 in which is joi'unal'ed a shaft- 4: carryinga wheel-n located in the pedestal. Afcfrossing gate '6 14, 192 5; Serial nofisaili,

is secured toone end of each shaft, this gate being of theusual counterbalanced type.

It is to be understood thataddition'al pedestals 3' areiocated at the opposite side ofthe track-'1. 'Mounted in each or: these other pedestals are shafts 4 carrying wheels 5. Gates 6 rotate with these shafts 4; Thus it will'beseen-that when all of the shafts are rotated all of the gateswill be lowered or raised simultaneously. To insure this simultaneous movement a belt 7 is mounted on the d fferent Wheels and extends under guide pulleys 8- whi'ch are suitably located,

Itis "to be understood, of course, thatth'e belt of sufiioientlengthtdextend trans- Z said'belt being Wrapped about and connectedto a drum 9 mounted within the housing- 2.

versely under the road-where it" approaches the railroad track at opposite sides-thereof and also extends trans'yersely under the track. The drum 9 is secured to 'asha -ft 10:

mounted in suitable bearings "11 and 'provl'ded W1th a gear 12: This gear is driven from a Worm the shaftofvvhich con-- nected by a suitable clutch to the shaft of anelectric motor 15, saidmotor being of the reversible type. i

Storage batteries 16 may be located vvithin the housing 2 and supported at any suitable point within this housing-is ajnelectromagnet 17the armature 18 or which has a dog 19 connected t-hereto'through a lever-e20 and a link 21. The dog I9 is held by a spring 22 normally in engagement with one of the'teeth of a-rat'ch'et 23 and thisratehpt is secured to and rotates with the shaft of a commutator 25. Three br'ushes26, 27 and 28 engage the commutator so that it hien said commutator is brou ht'to 'ditter'entpd, sitionsby the rotation th ratchet an electrical connection will be established between' any two" predetermined brusl'res The revei'sibl'eniot or 15 is provided-with a reversing switch 29 of the pole changer type, This switch'ha's an arin 3'0 connected to a shaft ZL hicheXtends above the space between opposed electro-magnets l 32 and A An armature 34 is connected to the shaft said switch is'niovedzdn one directionthe motor will be caused to rotate in one direction whereas whenthe SWlt'ChlS-Shlff'tfid no r the opposite direction the motor will be reversed. A resistance'coil 38 is included in an electrical connection 39 between the contact 37 and one pole of the battery 16. The other pole of the battery is electrically connected as at 40 to the contact 36 while the contact is electrically connected to the contact 3'? as shown particularly in Figure 1. That pole of the battery from which the connection is extended is provided with an electrical connection 41 extending tov a rail section 42 forming apart of the track T and located at a desired distance from the crossing. This section 42 is insulated from the balance of the track and is electrically connected, as at 43, to another rail section.

beyond the other side ojlithe crossing and which has been indicated at 44. Directly opposite each of the sections 42 and 44 are insulated rail sections 45 and. 46 respectively which are electrically connected as indicated at 47 and are also electrically connected to one pole ofthe magnet 17. The other pole of this magnet is electrically connected as at 48 to an intermediate portion of the bat-- tery and also by a connection 48 to the brush 26 and to the solenoids 32 and 33. Brush 27 is electrically connected as'at 49 to the magnet 32 while brush 28 is electrically c0n-- nected as at 50 to the magnet 33.

The shaft 31 is provided with oppositely extending arms50 and springs 51 are connected to these arms and serve to hold the pendulum or armature 34 normally centered between the electro-magnet as shown in Figure 9. A segmental plate 52 is also secured to the shaft 31 so as to rotate therewith and this plate is provided, at the center of its arcuate edge, with a notch 53. Upwardly disposed levers 54 and are provided, at their free ends, .with fingers 56 normally resting on the segmental plate 52. Springs 537 are attached to the levers 54 and cause the fingers 56 to press upon the segmental plate Extending from the outer end of each lever 54 and is a tripping linger 58 extending into the path of a tripping block 59 mounted on and adapted to be shifted by :o a screw 60. Thisscrew is journaled in suitable bearings 61 and is provided, at one end, with a gear 62 adapted to receive motion from a worm 63 carried by the shaft of the motor 13v as shown in Figure 3.

The block 59 is held against rotation with the screw 60 by guide rods 64 or the like and under normal conditions the block 59 is located upon the left portion of the screw. The threads are removed from the end portions of the screw and mounted on these end portions are springs 65.

Normally the gates are open and'the motor 15 is out of circuit with the battery. \Vhen a train approaches'the crossing from either direction it completes a circuit either beposition a in Figure 7 to position b. The

current flowing from the energized magnet 17 will split, a portion thereof flowing to the intermediate portion of the battery through the connection 48 while the re mainder of the current will pass through the connection 48 to the brush 26 and thence through the commutator to brush 28, connection 50 and magnet From this magnet current will flow back to the intermediate portion of the battery through the connection 50. Thus the armature 34 will be attracted by the magnet 33 with the result that arms 50 will be moved outof their normal positions and the segmental plate 52 will be rotated to the right in Figure 9 until the notch 53 comes to position beneath the finger 56 of lever 55. Spring 57 will promptly shift lever 55 so that its finger will drop into the notch 53 and, therefore, the pole changin switch will be moved into L: engagement with the contacts 36 and 37.

Thus a circuit will be set up through the motor so that it will-be driven in one direction and, consequently, the worm 13 will drive gear 12 and cause all of the wheels 5 to rotate simultaneously and the gate to swing downwardly to closed position. At the same time worm 63 will actuate gear 62 with the result that the screw 60 will be rotated and the block 59 shifted toward the rightin Figure 9. Thus the block will come against finger 58 and lever 55 andcause the linger 56 to lift out of the notch 53. Before the block 59 reaches finger 58 the train approaching the gate has passed oil of the rails 42 and 45 so that the circuit through the apparatus has been broken. The motor will of course continue to operate because the switch is locked on the contacts 36 and 37. When the switch is released, however, by the pressure of the block 59 against finger 58, springs 51 will return the switch to its normal positions shown in Figure 1 and the current to the motor will thus be cut oif. This cutting off of the current to the motor occurs simulta neously with the closing of the gate. When the train reaches the rail sections 44 and 46 after passing the crossing, the circuit through the apparatus is reversed, the current flowing from the right end of the battery 16 through the conductor 41 and rail 42 to conductor 43 and rail 44. At this point the current flows through the car to the rail 46 and thence by way of conductor 47 to the magnet 17 which is energized. This causes armature 18 to be attracted and rotate the commutator to bring the brushes 26 and 27 into circuit. Consequently the current, leaving the magnet 17, will split, a

portion flowing through the conductor 48 to the intermediate portion of the battery while the remainder of the current will flow through conductor 48 to brush 26, commutator 25, brush 27, conductor 49, magnet 32 and conductor 50 back to the conductor 48. The operation heretofore described will be reversed with the result that the gates will be raised and, when they reach their uppermost position, the pole changing switch will be released and the motor stopped.

The end portions of the screws 60 are left free of threads so that, should the blocks 59 travel too far along the screw after engaging the finger 58, no injury will be caused. Instead the block will come against and compress spring 65in the path thereof and when the rotation of the screw is refrom the crossing for actuating the commutator, and separate circuitscontrolled by the commutator for throwing the pole changing switch to operate the motor and raise or lower the gates.

2. The combination with a crossing gate,- a reversible electric motor for actuating the same, and a pole changing switch for controlling the flow of current to the motor, of a commutator, electrically operated means i under the control of the train at a point re-r mote from either side of the crossing for actuatingthe commutator, and electric circuits controlled by the commutator for shift ing the pole changing switch to either of. two extreme positions.

3. The combination with a crossing gate, of a drum, flexible means for transmitting motion from said drum to the gate, a reversible electric motor, 'means operated thereby for actuating said flexible means to open and close the gate, a pole changing switch for controlling the flow of current to the motor, a commutator, means under the control of the train at a point remote from the crossing for actuating the commutator,

and electric circuits controlled by the comby the motor for closing the gate, of a pole changing switch for controlling the flow of current to the motor, a commutator, electricallyv operated means for actuating the commutator, means at points remote from the gate and cooperating with a train approaching or leaving the gates for closing a circuit to said actuated means, separate circuits controlled by the commutator, and

means operated by the closing of the respecilVG circuitsfor throwing the pole changing switch to either of two extreme positions.

5. The combination with a gate, and a reversible electric motor for opening or closing the gate, of a pole changing switch for controllingthe flow of current to the motor,- a rotatable commutator, an electro-magnet,

ratchetmechanism controlled by the electromagnet for intermittently rotating the commutator, means at points remote from the gate cooperating with a train approaching or leaving the gates to close a circuit to the electro-magnet and actuate the commutator, separate magnets for shifting 'the pole changing switch toeither of two extreme positions, circuits controlled by the commu tator to the respective electro-magnets, and yielding means for holding the pole changing switch normally in open or inactive position.

6. The combination with an electric motor, a crossing gate, and means operated by the motor for actuating the gate, of a pole changing switch for controlling the direction of rotation of the motor, a commutator, means controlled by a train at points remote from the crossing for actuating the commutator, and separate circuits controlled by the commutator for throwing the pole changing switch to operate the motor and raise or lower the gates, and means for automatically cutting off the circuit to the motor simultaneously with the complete opening or the complete closing of the gate. V

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, 1 have hereto affixed my signature.

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